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Next BMW X1 caught on flatbed

The X1 had been around for four years before it was added to BMW's US lineup, so it isn't all that surprising that a new version of the company's smallest Sport Activity Vehicle is already in the works. Captured in transit on the back of a flatbed truck, these spy shots give us our first look at the next-gen X1 - codenamed F48 - which is expected to debut around 2015.
While the camouflage does a good job of obscuring most of the styling elements, we definitely see evidence of the X1's new platform. Elements like the loss of the long nose and a noticeably shrunken dash-axle gap (just compare this spy shot picture to this one from our X1 review), are good indicators that the next X1 will move to the new front-wheel-drive platform BMW is using for the new Mini and 1 Series GT. Aside from this, the overall shape is very similar to the current design, but we're sure it will pull many cues from the updated range of BMW products.

BMW already considering four cylinders for next M3

The cylinder count in BMW's M3 has fluctuated over the years. The original M3 debuted in 1985 packing a 2.3-liter inline-four, but subsequent models went with sixes until the outgoing generation upped the cylinder count to eight. With its latest model, BMW has dropped back to six cylinders with a pair of turbos taking the place of the extra pistons. But the next M3 sedan and M4 coupe could go back to the model line's roots with a four-cylinder engine.
Speaking with BMW M product manager Carsten Pries at the launch of the latest M3 and M4 in Portugal, our Aussie compatriots at Motoring.com.au report that "you could see a future [M3] powered by a four-cylinder engine." Offsetting the reduction in cylinders, the lighter engine would benefit the vehicle's weight and balance, thus enhancing performance.
We wouldn't expect the next M3 and M4 to lose any power in the process, though: Output in the M3 has only risen over the generations, from 192 horsepower in the four-pot original to 282 hp in the six-cylinder E36, 338 hp in the six-cylinder E46, 414 hp in the V8 E90 and 425 ponies in the new turbocharged six-cylinder F80 model. With that latter model having just debuted, it'll likely be a good six or seven years before the next version comes along, giving BMW plenty of time to settle on an engine - however many cylinders and turbochargers it has. In the meantime, you'll have to forgive us for taking a romp down M3 memory lane in the fresh gallery of images above.

Watch man destroy his M6 'lemon' with a sledgehammer and ax

Just to be clear, the owner of this BMW M6 isn't ready for another one. He and his friend destroyed the V10-powered coupe in anger at the entrance to the Frankfurt Motor Show in a decidedly public fashion. Bild and GT Spirit report that the owner was angry over mysterious quality and reliability issues that he claims BMW wasn't able to fix. What we have here, folks, is claimed to be a very expensive lemon.
As the story goes, owner Pourmohseni Hadi bought the 2007 M6 in 2008, and five years later, he is still complaining about mysterious vibrations, rattles and severe jolts during gear changes - the latter he says have caused passengers to become nauseous. The car was taken to several BMW repair shops in Italy and Hadi says he he has written a letter to the automaker about his issues, but the car was never fixed and the letter unanswered, he claims. What we don't know is how many miles the car has been driven and when all these problems started happening. The situation reminds us of a certain Lamborghini Gallardo from a couple years back.
While we understand Hadi's frustration, perhaps an M6 just doesn't suit his tastes. After all, we'd be lying if we said a perfectly functioning M6 of this generation wasn't bumpy over uneven surfaces and wouldn't make some passengers nauseous, with its stiffly sprung suspension and dizzying 500-horsepower V10. Anyone wanna bet his M6 was equipped with one of BMW's notoriously abrupt SMG single-clutch gearboxes?